A Different Piece
by The Ink Print
Summary: AU with no original characters. Following another adventure, of a different hero, to reach One Piece and become the Pirate King!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

In another world, Monkey D. Luffy's journey to find One Piece and become Pirate King is chronicled, and it is this story that we are familiar with. Starting in East Blue, the weakest of the four oceans, he travels past the Red Line and Reverse Mountain, through the Drum and Alabasta Kingdoms, up to Sky Island and down to the lowest level of Impel Down. We watch him grow stronger, in terms of both fighting prowess and character, as he battles numerous villains, escaping death each time. He makes many friends due to his uncorrupted spirit, some becoming his nakama and others, allies. Since the beginning, there has been no doubt that Monkey D. Luffy was destined for greatness, and he has yet to prove us wrong.

This is the story of another man, of an alternate world, whose beginnings also lie in East Blue and whose father, like Luffy's, is also a fearsome man. His journey to greatness will follow a similar path, but his story will be far from the same. Save in a few dire moments, he will exhibit little strength in character or fighting prowess. Inclined to flight rather than fight, he too will escape death, but through different means. Like Luffy, he will make many friends and allies, but due to a different type of charm. He has no Devil's Fruit ability, no King's Haki, no boundless courage or undying grit. But with little more than a keen eye, a creative mind and a glib tongue, he will trudge his way to his goal. There are many doubts about the makings of greatness, of Usopp the Liar.

But this time, those doubts will be proven wrong.


	2. The Adventure Begins

**The Adventure Begins**

Merry's ship looked magnificent even from a distance. The figurehead, fittingly a sheep's head given the ship's architect, was a pure, unblemished white, and the body of the ship almost glittered in the sunlight, the new coat of paint a brilliant red. It was a small ship, and not heavily equipped for battle, but unlike any other ship in the port, it had character. It was no mere cargo ship, it was a pirate ship. All that was missing was a flag and a crew.

And thus, Usopp could not help but sigh as he floated away on his little raft. A box of supplies by his side, and his trusty slingshot in hand, Captain Usopp had finally begun his journey. It had taken him a great deal of courage to set sail, but he had done it. No more running through the village and screaming fake warnings, no more mock adventures with Ninjin, Tamanegi and Piman; he was now what he so fondly screamed about, what he so fondly pretended to be - a real pirate. It was a difficult decision, but like his father before him, Usopp left everything behind to become a warrior of the sea. The pirate flag had called out to him, and he answered.

"Sorry, Kaya," he said softly, a part of him hoping that his closest friend would hear his apology. Kaya, the sick heiress to a incredibly large fortune, was the only one, besides children, that appreciated his tales. They cheered her up, she always said, gave her something to look forward to. Kurahadol, her butler, had made it nearly impossible for anyone to ever see Kaya, but Usopp always found a way past the guards to Kaya's window, where he would whisper stories about fighting giants and sailing in the sky, much to her delight and amusement. He had done this for several years, much to Kurahadol's chagrin, and had been thrown out multiple times, but Kaya was the attentive audience Usopp had always desired, and he wasn't going to give that up.

Every day without fail, he would turn up at her window, and she would be there in her bed, waiting. He would spend as long as he could telling her his stories, but often had to cut them short and continue them the next day to avoid getting caught by Kurahadol. "This is my favourite time of the day," she would say, smiling. "I wish we could keep this up forever."

"It's a deal, then," Usopp once replied, "I'll come here everyday. After all, a great man's adventures must be shared. But bear in mind, Kaya, that it's not very easy to turn up here everyday. I sometimes have to travel great distances just to come back here. Thankfully I have the fastest ship in the world, which is why I always make it in time."

_"What is the name of your ship?"_

_Usopp froze. He had forgotten that small detail. "Um..." he started, his mind racing for a name, "it is called the, um, Going..." At that moment, there was a knock on Kaya's room door, and her servant, Merry, entered with a tray of food. "Merry!" Usopp exclaimed, shocked by his sudden entrance. Merry, unlike Kurahadol, was a friendly man. He saw how much Kaya enjoyed Usopp's company, and thus never reported his presence. _

_"I think that's a beautiful name for a ship," Kaya said. "Merry, you should be honoured. Usopp's ship is also called Merry. The Going Merry."_

_Merry laughed softly. "Really?" he remarked, placing the tray down on Kaya's bedside table. As he left the room, he added with a playful smile, "It must be a magnificent ship, then!"_

_"Merry is designing a ship, you know," Kaya said once her servant had left. "Oh but don't tell anyone, please. If Kurahadol catches word of it he will definitely stop him. I'm letting Merry use my family's money to purchase supplies, and Kurahadol's always been very strict when it comes to spending - he would never allow Merry to buy anything to build a ship!"_

_"Not a word," Usopp said, grinning. "But tell Merry not to forget to add cannons - all ships must be able to defend themselves!"_

_"Oh but it's just for leisure, really. We don't want anyone aboard that ship to be fighting or anything!"_

_"You never know, Kaya. The sea is a dangerous, dangerous place. Not just because of evil pirates, but also because of monsters. Monsters that can gobble up grown men in one bite. I once had to fight two of them all by myself. I nearly died that day."_

_"I wish I could go on adventures too," Kaya said with a sigh, "Life would be so much more exciting! The world is such a fascinating place."_

_"But the sea is very, very dangerous. I don't think you know what you're saying. Only the strongest of warriors survive. It is fascinating, yes, but you might die out there."_

_Kaya's face fell. "I don't want to die in here, Usopp."_

_"You won't! Just you wait, you'll get better in no time. Kurahadol doesn't like me, but I can tell that he cares about you a lot. He'll find someone who can cure your sickness, that's for sure! And when you get better I will see if you are strong enough to take on my adventures, so you better rest well so that you can prove to me you'll be able to handle the pirate life!" _

_"Okay," said Kaya, chuckling softly, "but you better live up to what you've told me, if my experience is not as amazing as your past adventures, I will get angry!"_

Usopp sighed, and lay back, flat on his raft. That was the last conversation he had ever had with Kaya. Shortly after that, her sickness had worsened, and Kurahadol practically had the house on lockdown. Before long, news of Kaya's passing had reached the village, and along with it the uncertainty of what would happen to her fortune - she had not written a will. Word was that Kurahadol would handle the finances, like he always did once her parents had died. It was a mystery to Usopp how Merry had gone on to complete his ship. "I will have amazing adventures," Usopp said softly, with a tinge of sadness, looking at the clouds. "And hopefully you'll be able to watch them, from up there."

The sea stretched on to the horizon, a never-ending shade of blue. Usopp looked around - no land in sight except his island, behind him. He twirled his trusty slingshot around his fingers, whistling a tune, and wondered where he would end up. There was no plan, at the moment, except to drift around. He had decided, before setting out, that the first order of business was to assemble a crew, then to amass enough money to buy a ship.

A ship appeared just over the horizon, and grew bigger and bigger as it drew closer to Usopp's raft. Usopp gulped, and clutched his slingshot - there was a pirate flag flown, the typical skull-and-crossbones, but with the skull looking to the right, and with a heart-shaped design on it. A real pirate, Usopp thought, in both fear and admiration. He packed his supplies into a wooden crate, and made sure his bag of ammo was full. There was no way to avoid them - the way coming right at him and even if he tried to steer out of their way, he would be too slow.

"The adventure begins," he muttered. "I hope I don't die... I don't want to die..."

The ship was close enough to hear the pirates talking now. "What's this? Dust?" a loud, manly voice yelled. There was yelp, a plea for mercy, followed by a scream and a loud thud. Then silence. Usopp shuddered. "Oh no oh no oh no," he cried, trembling, "What kind of pirates are they? Fighting because of dust?" Suddenly, a limp body was tossed overboard, and it into the sea with a loud splash. Usopp's jaw dropped. A swirl of red grew on the surface, where the body had been dropped – blood. They had just thrown a dead body overboard.

"Coby!" the voice yelled again. "Where are you, Coby? Where's my tea?"

"R-right here! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to take so long, it's just that –" a weak, timid voice began, but it was cut off by the first voice.

"Excuses! You deserve to be punished! But I will spare you if you answer my question correctly - who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

The men on the ship all went silent again, as though they were holding their breaths in suspense. Their ship hit Usopp's raft, pushing it aside, but in the silence the soft thud was heard. A head poked over the edge of the ship and looked right at Usopp. Usopp laughed nervously, as an evil smile widened across the other pirate's face. It was then, that the second voice replied, his words drenched with disgust and fear: "Why, of course the woman is you, Alvida-sama!"

* * *

Next chapter: Coby the Coward


End file.
